A_Modest_Proposal中英文对照

It is a melancholy Object to those, who walk through this great Town, or travel in

the

Country,

when

they

see

the

Streets,

the

Roads,

and

Cabin- Doors,

crowded

with

Beggars of the female Sex, followed by three, four, or six Children, all in Rags, and

importuning

every

Passenger

for

an

Alms.

对于走过这座大城市，或在乡间旅行的

人，他们看到的这些景象真是悲凉：街上、马路上、茅屋内挤满了女乞丐，后面

跟着三个、四个或六个衣衫褴褛的孩子，向每个路人强要施舍。

These

Mothers

instead of being able to work for their honest livelihood, are forced to employ all their

time in Strolling, to beg Sustenance for their helpless Infants, who, as they grow up

either turn Thieves for want of work, or leave their dear native Country to fight for the

Pretender in Spain, or sell themselves to the Barbadoes.

这些母亲无法靠诚实劳动谋

生，

被迫终日游荡去养活那些无助的孩子，

这些孩子长大后要 么因找不到工作而

沦为小偷，

要么背井离乡去为西班牙那个觊觎 王位者卖命，

也许还会卖身到巴巴

多斯。

I think it is

agreed by all Parties, that this

prodigious

number of Children, in

the

Arms, or on the Backs, or at the heels of their Mothers, and frequently of their Fathers,

is in the present deplorable state of the Kingdom a very great additional grievance;

我

想所有的党派

人士

（各方面）都会同意，这些母亲 （有时常常是父亲）怀中抱

着、背上背着以及身后跟着的数量如此多的孩子

，在王国可悲的现状下，将是

一个平添民怨的灾难 。

and therefore whoever could find out a fair, cheap and easy

method of making these Children sound and useful Members of the common-wealth

would deserve so well of the public, as to have his Statue set up for a preserver of the

Nation.

如果谁能 想出一个简单易行的办法让这些孩子成为国家的健全有用之才，

他将值得公众为他树立雕 像，尊他为保国英雄。

But my Intention is very far from being confined to provide only for the Children

of

professed

beggars,

it

is

of

a

much

greater

extent,

and

shall

take

in

the

whole

number of Infants at a certain Age, who are born of Parents in effect as little able to

support them, as those who demand our Charity in the Streets.

然而我的 目的远不止限于救治那些公开宣称的乞丐的孩子，

我所说的范围要大得

< br>多，

包括所有那些在某个年代出生，

其父母与那些在街上 要求我们大发慈悲的乞

丐一样，无力养活他们的幼儿。

As to my own part, having turned my thoughts for many Years, upon this important

Subject, and maturely weighed the several Schemes of other Projectors, I have always

found them grossly mistaken in their computation. .

至于我自己，我酝酿这个想法已

有多年，

也曾和其他提出计划 的人充分地权衡过几个方案，

但总是发现他们在计

算时犯了极大 的错误。

It is true a Child, just dropt from it's Dam, may be supported

by

her

Milk,

for

a

Solar

year

with

little

other

Nourishment,

at

most

not

above

the

Value of two Shillings, which the Mother may certainly get, or the Value in Scraps, by

her lawful Occupation of begging, and it is exactly at one year Old that I propose to

provide for them, in such a manner, as, instead of being a Charge upon their Parents,

or the Parish, or wanting Food and Raiment for the rest of their Lives, they shall, on

the Contrary, contribute to the Feeding and partly to the Clothing of many Tho usands.

确实，

一个初生的婴儿在第一年里也许只需母乳 而不用其他营养品，

费用顶多不

超过两先令，

< br>或不超过乞讨所得的残羹剩饭的价值。

这两先令他们的母亲通过合

法的乞讨肯定能挣到的。

为了使他们不再成为父母或其所在教区的负担，

也无需

在余生要吃要穿，

我提议，

他们反而应该为成千上万的人的

食物，部分也可以作为衣物。

There is likewise another great Advantage in my Scheme, that it will prevent those

voluntary

Abortions,

and

that

horrid

practice

of

Women

murdering

their

Bastard

Children,

alas,

too

frequent

among

us,

Sacrificing

the

poor

innocent

Babes,

I

doubt,

more

to

avoid

the

Expense,

than

the

Shame,

which

would

move

Tears

and

Pity in the most Savage and inhuman breast.

我的方案也有另外一个很大的好处

它

能使妇女自愿堕胎和可怕的杀婴行为就此绝迹 。

唉，

这种现象在我们之中太普遍

了， 我怀疑（她们）牺牲那些无辜的婴儿与其说是为了逃避耻辱，不如说是为了

逃避抚养的代 价。即使是最无情最没人性的人，对此也将一洒同情之泪。

The number of Souls

in

this Kingdom

being usually reckoned one Million and a

half,

Of

these

I

calculate

there

may

be

about

two

hundred

thousand

Couple

whose

Wives are breeders, from which number I Subtract thirty Thousand Couples, who are

able to maintain their own Children, although I apprehend there cannot be so many,

under the present distresses of the Kingdom, but this being granted, there will remain

an hundred and seventy thousand Breeders.

这个王国的人口数量大概总计为一百五

十万 ，

在其中我估计有二十万对夫妇妻子尚能生育，

从这个数目里我 减去三万对

有能力抚养孩子的夫妇

——

虽然我知道在王国现今十分窘迫，不可能有这么多

——

确定之后 ，

就剩下十七万能够生育的妇女。

I again Subtract fifty Thousand for

those Women who miscarry, or whose Children die by accident or disease within the

Year.

我再减去五万流产的或孩子在一年内死于意外和疾病的妇女。

There

only

remain an hundred and twenty thousand Children of poor Parents annually born.

现在

实际出生 的贫困家庭孩子只余十二万。

The question therefore is, How this number

shall

be

reared

and

provided

for,

which,

as

I

have

already

said,

under

the

present

Situation of Affairs, is utterly impossible by all the methods hitherto proposed.

所以问

题是如何抚养这 么多的孩子，

这个我之前已经说过，

在目前的条件下，

迄今所提

的方案无一能解决。

For we can neither employ them in Handicraft, or Agriculture;

we neither build Houses, (I mean in the Country) nor cultivate Land.

因为我们既不

能雇他们从事手工业，

也不可能雇他们 从事农业；

我们不建造房屋

（我指的是在

农村）

，也不用开拓耕地。

They can very seldom pick up a Livelihood by Stealing

until they arrive at six years Old, except where they are of towardly parts, although, I

confess they learn the Rudiments much earlier; during which time they can however

be properly looked upon only as Probationers, as I have been informed by a principal

Gentleman in the County of Cavan, who protested to me, that he never knew above

one or two Instances under the Age of six, even in a part of the Kingdom so renowned

for the quickest proficiency in that Art.

这些孩子在六岁之前几乎不可能靠小偷小摸

< br>自讨生计，

除非在那些他们有望拉帮抱团的地方。

我承认 ，

他们很早前就开始入

门，

但在这段期 间他们只能被看作见习小偷。

我从卡文郡一个数一数二的缙绅那

里得知此中内情，

他曾对我断言，

在这么一个因对那门艺术掌握 得最迅速最熟练

而闻名的王国里，他从没听说过哪个地方有小于六岁的小偷的一两个事例 。

I am assured by our Merchants, that a Boy or Girl, before twelve years Old, is no

saleable Commodity, and even when they come to this Age, they will not yield above

three

Pounds,

or

three

Pounds

and

half

a

Crown

at

most

on

the

Exchange,

which

cannot

turn

to

Account

either

to

the

Parents

or

the

Kingdom,

the

Charge

of

Nutriments and Rags having been at least four times that Value.

我从我们的商人那里

得到确证，

十二岁前的男孩或女孩作为商品并不适合销售，

即使他们到了十二岁，

他们的利润也不会多于三镑，

最多通过交易获利三镑五先令，

可这并不能补偿他

们的父母 ，

也不能补偿王国，

他们吃过的营养品和穿过的衣物的钱至少是 这些的

四倍。

I shall now therefore humbly propose my own thoughts, which I hope will not be

liable to the least Objection.

因此，我谨此提出我的想法，希望不至遭到任何反对。

I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London,

that a young healthy Child well Nursed is at a year Old, a most delicious, nourishing,

and

wholesome

Food,

whether

Stewed,

Roasted,

Baked,

or

Boiled,

and

I

make

no

doubt that it will equally serve in a Fricassee, or Ragout.

我在伦敦的一个深知内情的

美国朋友向我证实，一个年轻健康、营养良好的孩子在一岁的时候是味道最美、

营养最佳、最有益健康的食品，焖、烤、焙、煮皆无不可；而我也确信无论做成

炖重汁 肉丁和蔬菜炖肉，他们都一样美味可口。

I

do

therefore

humbly

offer

it

to

public

consideration,

that

of

the

hundred

and

twenty

thousand

Children,

already

computed,

twenty

thousand

may

be

reserved

for

Breed,

whereof

only

one

fourth

part

to

be

Males,

which

is

more

than

we

allow

to

Sheep, black Cattle, or Swine, and my reason is, that these Children are seldom the

Fruits of Marriage, a Circumstance not much regarded by our Savages, therefore, one

Male will be sufficient to serve four Females.

因此我谨将 其提交公众考虑：上面统

计过的十二万名儿童，

两万也许将留于 饲养，

其中男性只需四分之一

——

这已 经

比猪牛羊的比例大了

——

我的理由是 ：

这些孩子不是婚姻的产物，

我们的粗人也

不会计较这些，因此一男足配四女。

That the remaining hundred thousand may at a

year

Old

be

offered

in

Sale

to

the

persons

of

Quality,

and

Fortune,

through

the

Kingdom, always advising the Mother to let them Suck plentifully in the last Month,

so as to render them Plump and Fat for a good Table.

剩下的十万名在满一周岁时< /p>

可以卖给国内有权有势的人，

要总叮嘱母亲在他们最后一个月让他 们喝饱奶，

把

他们养得圆圆胖胖，好作成美味佳肴。